Iron fence



(No Mbdel.

S. W. MARTIN.

IRON FENCE.

Patented Feb. 28,1882.

Invefd'or.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL W. MARTIN, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

IRON FENCE.

SPECIFICATIbN forming part of Letters Patent No. 254,353, dated February 28, 1882. Application filed December 27, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL W. MARTIN, of Springfield, in the county of Clarke and State of Ohio, have invented certain Improvements in Iron Fences, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of fences in which vertical rods or pickets are passed through horizontal sustaining-rails, and ornamental rosettes or plates applied at the junction of the rails and pickets.

The invention consists in an improved manner of causing the rails, pickets, and rosettes to interlock with each other, whereby they are firmly and cheaply united, but a limited motion allowed between the parts, in order that 'the fence may be adapted for use upon levels or upon grades of varyinginclination, as may be required.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the fence-rail and the rosette applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the same; Fig. 3, a horizontal section on the line a: '00.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a horizontal supporting-rail, which may be of any suitable form in cross-section, although the form represented is usually preferred. There may be any suitable number of these rails, one above another, and they will be sustained by means of posts in the ordinary manner.

B represents the vertical pickets inserted through holes punched in the rail A, the hole being made of such size as to permit a limited rocking or tipping motion of the rail in relation to the picket, so that the rail may be adjusted to conform to the inclination of the ground upon which the fence may be set, while the picket remains in a vertical position. 7

0 represents the rosette, of skeleton form, which may be varied in design or configuration to any extent desired, provided only it retains the mechanical characteristics hereinafter named. The rosette is adapted to lie.

across the front face of the rail, and is provided at its upper and lowerends, respectively, with ears or eyes a, through which thepicketpasses, this connection serving to hold the rosette with the upper and lower edges ,or lips, b,,which are thrown backward or inward in such manner as to rest one against the upper and the other against the under edge of the rail, this arrangement serving to prevent the rosette from being moved vertically.

In order to prevent the picket from moving vertically, it is provided, rear side, with a transverse notch or shoulder, 0, into which the upper end of the rosette engages, as clearly represented in Fig. 2.

The rosette may be made of such form or curvature that upon the picket being driven endwise to its seat the rosette will springinto the notch, or the picket may be inserted and the rosette, which is usually made of malleable metal, hammered or driven downward into the notch. The shoulder for the engagement of the rosette with the picket may be either-above or below the rail, as preferred, and, if desired, as a matter of additional precaution there may be two of the shoulders or notches, one above and the other below the rail. The essential feature of my invention consists in having the rosette held against vertical movement by engagement with the rail, and in havingthe rosette in turn engage with the picket to prevent its vertical movement.

While it is preferred to allow the limited movement of the parts in relation to each other, as described, it is manifest that the parts may be secured rigidly together.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a metal fence, the combination of a rail, a vertical picket sustained by the rail and provided with a notch or recess and a rosette, substantially as described, engaging of the rail, and also engaging with the upper and lower edges of the recess,whereby the picket is prevented from being raised or lowered.

2. In combination with the perforated rail, the vertical picket passing through the rail and provided with the transverse notch or shoulder, and the rosette adapted to engage around the picket, and provided with shoulderszoflbearings engaging with the picket and preferably on the the fence-rail, respectively, in the manner described and shown.

3. The combination of the perforated rail, the picket passing loosely through the rail and provided with'a transverse notch or shoulder, and the rosette encircling the picket and engaging with its shoulder, and also engaging withthe upper and lower edges of the mil, as described and shown.

SAMUEL W. MARTIN.

Witnesses I C. O. KIRKPATRICK, G. E. KIGHLEY. 

